Bobbin release for weft replenishing looms



D c- 1, 19 c. P. BERG-STROM ET AL BOBBIN RELEASE FOR WEFT REPLENISHING LOOMS Filed Dec. 24, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 aw ab 2 csnuefitor's Cad P. Bargain-om (llbe'rt Pcumer z J mtorngs Patented Dec. 1, 1936 UNITED STATES BOBBIN RELEASE FOR WEFT REPLENISHING LOOMS Carl P. Bergstrom, Millbury, and Albert Palmer, Worcester, Mass, assignors to Crompton & Knowles Loom Works, Worcester, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts Application December 24, 1934, Serial No. 758,878

10 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in multicolor weft replenishing looms and it is the general object of the invention to provide improved means for releasing an untransferred bobbin in such looms.

In multicolor bobbin changing looms it is customary to advance a reserve bobbin from a selected group to a common transfer position regardless of the stack from which they are drawn. Mechanism is provided to prevent a transfer should the exhausted shuttle be misplaced, but usually the untransferred bobbin will remain on its supports in transfer position after the revocation. This bobbin must be removed from the magazine in order to prevent confusion of colors 4 and breakage at a subsequent transfer.

Multicolor replenishing looms usually employ a weft detector under the magazine so positioned as to be in the path of the released untransferred bobbin as it falls from the magazine. As heretofore constructed the bobbin releasing mechanism has operated in such a way as to cause the released bobbin to pivot over the detector finger in a direction toward the loom where it could be struck by the lay and carried forwardly against the detector bracket and cause breakage. It is an important object of our present invention to provide means whereby the untransferred bobbin will be released in such a way that it will be deflected away from the loom as it strikes the detector and pass into a normally unoccupied space where no damage can be done even should it be carried forwardly by the lay.

Because of varying conditions arising in the loom it is necessary to give the detector a variety of settings with the result that the fallen bobbin will not always be struck at the same place by the detector finger. In order that the bobbin release may be altered to take these conditions into account it is a further object of our invention to provide means for varying the times of release for the tip and butt ends of the bobbin. The advantages accruing from the use of our invention are derived largely from the fact that the tip end of the bobbin is released early enough to give that end of the bobbin a momentum sufiicient to cause the bobbin upon striking the detector finger to pivot over the latter in a direction away from structure which might cause damage. The mechanism described hereinafter accomplishes this result by releasing the tip of the bobbin at a time substantially earlier than the release of the bobbin butt.

It is a further object of our present invention to provide means for releasing the bobbin while the lay is on its backward stroke, thereby leaving which the released bobbin should fall. This result may be accomplished by releasing the bobbin by a force derived from the lever which cooperates with the weft detector. This lever has a downward motion which starts'when the lay'is substantially at front center but is not completed until the lay has receded an appreciable distance and by providing appropriate operative connections between the lever and the bobbin supports we are able to release the bobbin by the latter part of the stroke of the lever when the lay is behind the path of the falling bobbin.

With these and other objects in viewwhich will appear as our description proceeds, our in vention resides in the combinationand arrangement of parts hereinafter described and set forth ture shown in Fig. 1 showing the lower part of the magazine with the outer or bobbin tip supports,

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, certain parts being in section and showing the bobbin butt support,

unobstructed the space beyond the detector into.

Fig. 4 is a rear detailed elevation taken in the-.

direction of arrow 4, Fig. 2,

Fig. 5 is a detailed horizontal section on line 5-5, Fig. 2, and

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view in plan showing the relation between the bobbin in transfer position, its butt and tip supports, and the weft de- I tector.

Referring to the drawings, the loom l0 supports a magazine M having an inner plate ll arranged to guide the butts of several stacks of reserve bobbins and an outer plate I2 which guides the tip ends of the bobbins. A transferrer arm I3 is pivoted as at M and is caused to descend at the time of transfer to move a bobbin in transfer position from the magazine into the shuttle S mounted on the lay L. The butt of the bobbin is held in transfer position by front and back supports it and I6, respectively, while the tip end of the bobbin in such position is held by front and back tip supports I! and [8, respectively. While the releasing features of our invention might be applied to the front giveways yet as set forth hereinafter we operate on the back or rear giveways.

The support I6 is provided with a yielding mounting shown in Fig. 3 the effect of which is to permit said support to move rearwardly either by a force derived from the bobbin butt at the time of a normal transfer, or by a mechanism to be described and operative when a transfer is revoked to permit discharge of the untransferred bobbin. This mounting includes a link 20 pivotally connected as at 2| to the support I6 and extending upwardly to have pivotal support with a tie rod 22 forming part of the magazine structure. The arm l6 extends into a slot 25 formed in a link 26 movable about a fixed pivot 21. An

adjusting screw 28 in the link 26 affords a variable stop for the stud 24. A tension coil spring 30 is interposed between the arm 23 and the finger 3| on the link 20. As shown more particularly in Fig. 4 a relatively heavy torsion spring 32 interposed between a collar 33 fast on the tie rod 22. and the hub 34 of the link 20 holds the latter yieldingly in forward position.

Therelation of the parts is such that normally the support [6 tries to move forwardly under action of the spring 32 and the stud 24 is held stood, however, that the manner of moving the against the screw 28 by the action of spring 36. For a further understanding of the structure and operation of the support I6 reference may be had to Ryon Patent No. 1,366,950.. It is to be undersupport to releasing position is not the same as that shown in Ryon patent but forms part of our present invention and is set forth hereinafter.

The rear tip support for a bobbin in transfer position, as set forthin Fig. 2, is supported partly be had to Ryon Patent No. 1,563,592.

by a link .40" pivoted as at 4| to the magazine frameandalso to the support l8 as at 42. A secondlink 43 movable pivotally about the tie rod 22 is jointed at its lower end as at 44 to the support l8.and has a lug 45 carrying an adjustable adjustedposition of screw 46 in engagement with the finger 41. 'The purpose'of the substantially parallellinks 40 and 43 is to' give the support l8 a rearward. motion along a line which is almost horizontal withlittle or no downward component. For a further understanding of the manner of mounting and operating support I8 reference may Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 6 the weft detector D has a finger 56 capable of moving a trip-5i to the left of the position shown in Fig. 6 under an actuator lever 52. The latter is supported on the upper end of the rod 53 the lower end of which is attached to a lever 54 movable about'a fixed pivot 55. The rear end 56 of the lever 54 has cooperative relation with a groove 51 of a cam 58 secured in adjusted position on the bottom shaft 59 of the loom. Cam 58 revolves every second beat of the layand is so timed with respect to the lever as to cause the actuator 52 to start downwardly on the forward beat of the loom when a shuttle is being detected and is under the magazine. As the lay recedes the cam continues to move the lever, 52 downwardly. If no indication of weft exhaustion has been given the right end of lever 52 as shown in Fig. 6

descends without giving indication to themagano part of our present invention and may be constructed' and operated in well-known manner and as set forth in the patents already mentioned.

Our invention relates to means for moving the rear supports 16 and [8 out of bobbin supporting position. In this connection it is to be understood that when a transfer is called by the weft detector a bobbin will move from one or another of reserve stacks and reach the position indicated at B, Figs. 2 and 3. If the shuttle is properly boxed. under the magazine the transferrer arm l3 descends to effect 'a normal transfer, but if for any reason the shuttle should not be properly boxed, mechanism not shown herein but well understood and including a shuttle f eeler operates to prevent descentof the transferrer arm and the bobbin intransfer position remains in the magazine untransferred. Under these conditions it is desirable to release the bobbin inasmuch as the next transfer might be called in connection witha different shuttle having a different kind of weft and unless the untransferred bobbin is ejected from the magazine confusion of colors is likely to result.

In carrying our invention into effect we provide a lever 16 pivotal freely about the tie rod 22 and located between the collars 33 and 49. This lever has a rearwardly extending arm attached as at H to a rod head 12 on the upper end of a rod 73. The latter is connected as at 14 to the rear part of lever 54 and partakes of the rocking motion of said lever. The lever 10 is provided also with a depending shorter arm 15 having a hub 16 through which extends a support moving or actuating rod 11 held in adjusted position in the hub by set screw 18. As shown in Fig. 4 the right or inner end of the rod 11 lies in front of a wing. cast on the link 20, whereas the left or outer end of said rod lies in front of a clip 8| held in back and forth adjusted position on the link 43 bya screw 82 passing through a part of the clip and threaded into arm 43. By reason of therod head 72 it is possible to adjust the position of the innerend of the rod with respect tothe wing 80 and by means of the screw 82 it is possible to adjust the clip and therefore the link 43 with respect to the outer end of the rod H. In this Way independent adjustment is provided for the lever 10 with respect to both the butt andtip bobbin supports.

In the operation of our present invention, assuming that a transfer has been revoked and the bobbin remains in transfer position, the cam 58 will be in such a position closely after the revocationof transfer as to raise rod 13 and therefore cause rocking of the lever 10 in a counter-clockwise direction around the tie rod 22 as viewed in Figs. 2 and-3. The effect of this is to move the rod Tl rearwardly to cause it to engage the wing Bil -and the clip-8|. The latter is ordinarily so set as to be-engaged by the rod before the latter engages the wing 80 and the effect of this is to release the tip end of the bobbin before the butt end is free to fall. As a result the tip end starts down under the action of gravitywhile' the butt is still supported and the bobbin becomes inclined so that its tip end is moving down faster than the butt end when the bobbin strikes the detector. Reference to Fig. 6 will show this relation where it Will be seen that the detector is so located as to be between the butt and tip ends of the falling bobbin.

In certain instances the detector finger strikes the bobbin close to the center of gravity of the latter, but the tip end of the bobbin having the greater momentum continues to fall under these conditions and the bobbin is deflected away from the loom frame into the unoccupied space under the magazine which is beyond the detector, or to the right in Fig. 6. Because of this fact even should the advancing lay on its next forward stroke engage the fallen bobbin and move the latter forward no harm will result since there is nothing in front of the bobbin to be struck thereby.

It is to be understood that by reason of the adjustable features described hereinbefore it is possible to effect a variety of time relations between the releasing of the butt and tip ends of the bobbin, to meet varying conditions depending upon the adjusted setting of the weft detector, and also to meet conditions which vary with the speed at which the lay is operated. The rod 11 is substantially parallel to the tie rod 23 which is a common axis for the links 20 and 43, so that the amount of motion imparted by the rod 11 to these links is substantially the same, although we do not wish to be limited to this relation, inasmuch as the ends of the rod can be bent upwardly to cause engagement with the supports at different times. Adjustment of the detector lengthwise of the bobbin can be effected by a bolt I08 passing through a slot Illl in the detector stand I02 which is carried by the loom frame.

From the foregoing it will be seen that we have provided a very simple means for releasing the untransferred bobbin in such a way that, it will be deflected into a normally unoccupied space after striking the weft detector finger. This result is due largely to the fact that the tip end of the bobbin is released first so that it may acquire a downward momentum which exceeds that of the butt end of the bobbin when the latter strikes the detector. Both the tip and butt supports are movable independently of each other and by reason of the clip adjustment can be moved at different times. It will also be seen that the release is effective through the lever 54 which cooperates with the detector mechanism and is so timed as to move the supports rearwardly while the lay is on its backward stroke and is moving away from the position where it could damage the bobbin being released. The rod 10 can be set far enough in front of the lug 80 and clip 8! so that only the last part of the motion of lever 54 will release the bobbin.

Copending application Serial No. 758,876 filed by Latham and Gordon shows and claims broadly means for releasing the tip of the bobbin prior to release of the bobbin butt. The present application shows and claims means which are an improvement on the structure shown in that application.

Having thus described our invention it will be seen that changes and modifications may be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and we do not wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, but what we claim is:

1. In a weft replenishing loom having a reserve bobbin to be held in transfer position, a moving part of the loom, a pair of bobbin supports one for the butt and one for the tip of the bobbin, each support movable findependently of the other support, and'an actuator moved by said part into successive engagement with the supports to move the tip support to releasing position first and thereafter move the butt support to releasing position. 1

2. In a weft replenishing loom having a reserve bobbin to be held in transfer position, a moving part of the loom, an actuator having driving relation with said part, a bobbin butt support to have operative relation with the actuator, a bobbin tip support also having operative relation with the actuator, and means to cause the actuator to have operative relation with the bobbin tip support before having operative relation with the bobbin butt support.

8. In a weft replenishing loom having a reserve bobbin to be held in transfer position, a regularly rocking lever, a rod carried by the lever and partaking of the rocking motion thereof, a bobbin butt support to be moved by the rod, a bobbin tip support also to be moved by the rod, means to cause the rod to move the tip support to bobbin releasing position, and other means operative after operation of the first named means to cause the rod to move the butt support to bobbin releasing position.

4. In a weft replenishing loom having a reserve bobbin to be held in transfer position, a bobbinbutt support, a bobbin tip support, a moving part of the loom, and means driven by said part to actuate said supports to move them to bobbin releasing position at different times separated by an interval of time, the tip support being released at the beginning of the interval of time.

5. In a weft replenishing loom having a reserve bobbin to be held in transfer position, a bobbin butt support, a bobbin tip support, means to actuate said supports to move them to bobbin releasing position at different times separated by an interval of time, the tip support being released at the beginning of the interval of time, and means to vary the length of the interval of time.

6. In a weft replenishing loom having a bobbin to be held in transfer position, a yieldable support for the butt of the bobbin, a yieldable support for the tip of the bobbin movable independently of the butt support, an actuator movable along a given path to engage the supports and move them to bobbin releasing position, and means to vary the times of engagement between the actuator and the supports to cause said actuator to engagethe supports at different points along the path of movement thereof.

7. In a weft replenishing loom having a bobbin to be held in transfer position, a yieldable support for the butt of the bobbin, a yieldable support for the tip of the bobbin, an actuator for said supports movable along a given path, and

means to vary the times of engagement between of the bobbin butt support. an actuator to engage both of said supports and move them to bobbin releasing position, a loom member operatively connected to the actuator and having a given cycle of movement, and means to vary the time of movement of the actuator with respect to said cycle of movement of the member.

9. In a. weft replenishingtloom having a bobbin to'be held in transfer position, a weft detector to be located under the bobbin in transfer position and movable to a plurality of positions longitudinally of the bobbin, a yieldable bobbin butt support, a yieldable bobbin tip support movable independently of the butt support, means to move the tip support to releasing position and later after an interval of time move the butt support to releasing position, whereby the tip will fall in advance of the butt, and means to vary the length of said interval of time depending upon the position of the detector longitudinally of the shuttle.

10. In a weft replenishing loom having a. bobbin to be held in transfer position, a weft detector to be located under the "bobbin in transfer position and movable to a plurality of positions longitudinally of the bobbin, a yieldable bobbin butt support, a yieldable bobbin tip support movable independently of the butt support, an actuator having a given amount of motion to be operatively related to both of said supports and move them to releasing position, a loom member having a cycle of motion, means to operatively relate the member and actuator in such a way that the actuator is capable of moving through a plurality of different paths, and means to cause the actuator to engage the'tip support first and later after an interval of time engage the butt support, said means capable of varying the length of the interval of time.

- CARL P. BERGS'IROM.

ALBERT PALMER. 

